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communities Robert K. Liu
Tucson Marketplace
ancient and ethnographic
W
70 ORNAMENT 37.1.2013
hile we frequently covered the Tucson shows in
the past, in recent years we have been absent.
This article is my re-entry into those of the
thirty-eight shows which carry ancient and ethnographic
jewelry, which run from the end of January into February
each year. The majority of the events are oriented towards
gems and minerals; since the show guides do not have
comprehensive category listings, visitors need to research
which shows have vendors of ancient or ethnic wares.
Reading Floor Kasper's (2012) Tucson guide is a pleasant
and informative way to learn about the shows in general;
carefully prepare before going, choose those shows that you
want to visit and keep to a budget. We went only to the
Grant Inn (GIGM), the Gem Mall (GM) and African Art
Village due to time constraints. The first two shows have
many vendors of interest, while all from the last show carry
ethnographica. It is not possible to visit all the shows, even
if one had the time or money. There are other venues with
a few vendors of ancient or ethnic jewelry, like the Sumareh
brothers with African beads at the To Bead True Blue shows,
but the number of such vendors has decreased compared to
the past. The recent and ongoing domestic and international
economic recessions, the rise of internet commerce and the
aging of collector populations have all impacted this market.
Ancient ornaments are mostly of Middle Eastern or east
Asian origins, and ethnographic beads or jewelry are from
these same regions in addition to Africa. The Grant Inn and
the Gem Mall offer excellent sources of ancient and ethnic
ornaments from established dealers, like Ancient Beads and
Artefacts, Silk Road Treasures, Shamballa, Joe Loux, Kamol,
Philip Mertens, and Coup de Foundre, as well as those
listed in the photographs. Some dealers of African art are
at the Gem Mall while those at the African Art Village are
almost entirely African, except a few like Stephen Cohn of
Bwanacon, who also carries Central American wares.
Asians, including Chinese, Taiwanese, east Indians, and
others from the Indian subcontinent are among the
majority of vendors at Tucson. Now, Asians are also the
leading buyers of ethnographic and ancient material.
Termed backflow fervor by Chinese bead books author Zhu
Xiao Li, it is the buying back of artifacts sold to the West
during the 1970s to the late 1990s, possibly the early 2000s.
Personal observation, talking with dealers, collectors and
recent auction prices in China support this. Prices of dZi,
pumtek and Tibetan coral and amber have skyrocketed. A
longtime collector of Iranian glass beads reports the
exporting of such ornaments to China, Thailand and Japan,
as well as Chinese coming to Iran to buy antiquities. Pam
Najdowski of Textile Treasures knows of a number of
Chinese setting up private museums, which had occurred
decades earlier in countries like Japan and South Korea.
This trend reflects the growing affluence in east Asia, and
their desire to acquire collectibles or their own cultural
artifacts that are believed to have lasting economic,
aesthetic or religious values.
SUGGESTED READING
Kaspers, F. 2012 Beads from Tucson. Where the world meets for beads, stones and
jewelry. Blurb, Marblings Publishing: 113 p.
PATRICK R. BENESH-LIU, BASSEM ELIAS, ROBERT K. LIU, THOMAS STRICKER, AND JOYCE HOLLAWAY at Ancient Beads and Artefacts booth, the
Ballroom, GIGM Show, Tucson. With only two other exhibitors (Silk Road Treasures and Bill Boss, formerly Tika), these vendors had the largest
selection of ancient beads and ornaments at Tucson. Bassem Elias, Hassan Jan Khan and Thomas Stricker have formed the Ethnographic Group,
to promote and sell ethnographic and ancient ornaments/artifacts. Photograph by Silk Road Treasures. MUSA, AFRICAN VILLAGE; he is from
Gambia but lives in Ghana and Los Angeles. He has clients for collectible beads, such as bodoms, which sell for five hundred to eight hundred
dollars. While he imports beads, Musa also exports watches and T-shirts to Africa. Photographs by Patrick R. Benesh-Liu, Robert K. Liu.